November 8, 2006
They are going bananas down in Scarlet Knights country. That's right, at Rutgers it is going to be rocking and rolling Thursday night when Louisville invades. I'm not talking hoops, baby! I am talking about the pigskin.
Am I shocked or surprised at this year's success down at Rutgers? No way, baby! I remember in the early 70s, when I arrived on that campus as an assistant basketball coach, speaking to head coach Dick Lloyd. We discussed recruiting and I remember telling him that we could be something special.
Rutgers in 1976 showed the nation what it was capable of, making the men's Final Four with Indiana, Michigan and UCLA. Phil Sellers, Mike Dabney and company showed that the Scarlet Knights were capable of big things
Think about it. Rutgers is able to draw recruits from the metropolitan New York-New Jersey area, plus the Philadelphia area. For basketball, there is the draw of potentially playing at Madison Square Garden. You have the excitement of attracting young men to an outstanding state university.
As I shared on the Mike and Mike radio show recently, if you think mediocrity you will be mediocre. I am not surprised about Rutgers' football success because of its coach, Greg Schiano. I have never met Greg, but I went to high school with his mom (Rene) and dad (Barry). I had a little crush on Rene, a cheerleader, but I had no shot because I was ugly. Knowing the energy they had, I am not the least bit surprised to see their son doing great things for the Scarlet Knights.
He has an upbeat personality and he is taking the approach that Rutgers can be the best. That becomes contagious to everyone around him. Schiano has some outstanding players as well. Raymond Rice has shown America that he can play.
Louisville has Bobby Petrino and Rick Pitino what a combination! Rutgers has its own outstanding duo in Schiano and Fred Hill, a guy who has a passion and love for the state of New Jersey.
Good things are happening at both schools because you have people that believe.
Meanwhile, isn't it something to realize that college basketball is light years ahead of college football. Think about it; how can a system be good when you had a team like Auburn a few years ago run the table and not play for a national championship. The same scenario exists if Rutgers or Louisville runs the table; they could go undefeated and not play for the title.
How do you look at Petrino's kids or Schiano's and tell them they have done everything asked of them, won each time they tool the field yet could not compete for a championship?
As Rutgers fan James Gandolfini would say, "forget about it".
It is a shame the innocent kids could be penalized. Games are big, but when you have 65 teams hooking up in the college basketball tournament, there are opportunities despite a loss or two in the regular season. In football, you lose your dream with just one loss. So many kids get hurt.
It is great to see some new kids on the block and the Louisville-Rutgers football game has special meaning. Schiano is a winner with a capital W!
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
